In Defense of Graffiti

Annotated Bibliography and Outline Worth in Overall Grade: 15%

Part 1: Annotated Bibliography 1. Using the tips from Module 6 and SearchPath, find four sources that you might use for the

research essay. Ensure that your sources are credible, recent, and relevant. Although you might

include the essay from the rhetorical analysis in your final position paper, do not include it here.

2. Write a bibliographic entry for each of the four sources. Apply MLA documentation style.

3. Below each entry, write a few sentences (around 100-250 words) to comment on the writer’s

credibility and the source’s value to your topic. Use the sample annotated bibliography in

section R3-e “Construct an Annotated Bibliography” in your Canadian Writer’s Reference as a

guide for what to include in each annotation, along with the rubric on the following page.

An annotated bibliography is a list of research sources that includes a short summary under each source.

This assignment is intended to help you prepare for the research essay and to increase your familiarity

with MLA format. Please title your assignment “An Annotated Bibliography on...” This way I know what

topic you are addressing. The whole document should also conform to MLA format.

Only one source may be taken from the Internet. Library databases, journal articles downloaded through

a library database, or scholarly on-line journals do not count towards this limit; the limit exists to make

you use the library and familiarize yourself with different kinds of secondary sources. If you are unsure if

a source is acceptable, please discuss it with your instructor in advance of the due date.

Here are descriptions of the topics you can develop:

Songs and Politics: Can songs really be political? Are some artists deliberately political or do they simply

seek to sell records or make music? Some musicians, like Bob Dylan, seem to have conflicted

relationships with the idea that lyrics can be political. As this topic progresses, you will likely need to

choose a focus for your project, so choosing a direction for your ideas to develop is important. A few

ways to do this would be to consider one “style” of music, one particular artist, one particular historical

moment, or one particular album.

Videogames and Sports: Argue whether video games should be used to teach academic or professional

skills. As part of your argument, you could consider the advantages or disadvantages of integrating video

games into traditional classrooms.

Graffiti and Art: Argue whether graffiti is a crime or a work of art. For this essay, you might consider

using a personal interview (primary source) to support your case. That is, you could interview business

owners, police officers, or graffiti artists about their opinions of graffiti. However, you would still need at

least three secondary sources in addition to your primary source.

Social Media and Rhetoric: Social media has become a naturalized part of our lives. It is altering the

nature of our relationships and producing new avenues of social, political, intellectual, and emotional

engagement. Is this a positive or negative trend? What do we gain or lose as the ways in which we

communicate change?

Remember that you are writing an academic paper, so you need to be persuasive and objective, and

minimize any bias or “gut reaction” you might have to these topics.

Annotated Bibliography Rubric

You will submit an annotated bibliography in the combination style. This style combines (a) a short summary with (b) a short evaluation, drawing on what you learned in Modules 4 and 5, of the utility of the resource to your project.

Guidelines for the first part of the summary (sometimes the first paragraph):

1. Write your annotation from an objective third-person point of view. The annotations should not rely upon quotation, but should be developed through paraphrasing.

2. Be brief in your summary. Remember from Module 3 that you do not have to provide the fine details of the argument, such as a restatement of the evidence, but you do need to give the main thesis, the claims, and the conclusions.

3. Your summary should indicate the ethos of the author (his or her authority) and the viewpoint he or she takes.

General guidelines for the second part of the summary (sometimes the second paragraph):

1. Provide an evaluation of the overall merits of the source: its strengths and weaknesses.

2. State why you think this work is suitable for your topic. What information does it provide that will help you forward your argument? Remember that this, too, should not contain any “I” statements. For example, rather than writing, “I feel this article is good because...,” you should write, “This article is particularly useful because it focuses on the social aspects of drug use.”

Bibliographic Entries ( /8 marks total)

Each entry is worth 2 marks; each error in MLA reduces score by 0.5 mark

Annotations

Quality of Sources (2 Marks Each): /8

2 1 0

The source is an academic source, with a clear relationship to the topic.

The source is credible, but may present problems in use or represents “popular” or “summary” documents.

The source is not credible or exceeds the limits of one source from the Internet.

Quality of Writing (2 marks each): /8

2 1 0

Uses well-written, grammatically correct sentences effectively; Easy to understand and engaging to read; Makes very few or minor technical errors.

Frequent problems in diction (wordiness, obtuseness); Problems in sentence structure or reliance on passive language; Few or very minor technical errors. Only a few major errors and shows proofreading has been done.

Numerous errors; clarity of text is seriously compromised.

Total Part 1= /24

Part 2: Outline

Working Thesis and Outline: (16 marks)

Your working persuasive thesis should include your position on the subject and the reasons or points

that will support that position. Be sure to follow the sample formal outline format and detail from your

Canadian Writer’s Reference manual (you should have at least two items at every subdivision level as in

the example below). You can also use the following outline as a template.

I. Introduction and thesis statement

II. First body paragraph (the topic sentence of this paragraph would connect to the first sub-point of

your argument mentioned in your thesis)

- first point you would develop in this paragraph

- second point you would develop in this paragraph

- etc.

III. Second body paragraph (the topic sentence of this paragraph would connect to the second sub-point

of your argument mentioned in your thesis )

- first point you would develop in this paragraph

- second point you would develop in this paragraph

- etc.

IV. Third body paragraph (the topic sentence of this paragraph would connect to the third sub-point of

your argument mentioned in your thesis )

- first point you would develop in this paragraph - second point you would develop in this paragraph - etc.

(add another body paragraph here if you have more than three sub-points of your thesis)

V. Conclusion

Integrating a Quotation and a Paraphrase: (10 marks)

Find a passage in one of your sources that you might use as evidence for a point in your research essay.

1. (2 marks) Type out the passage (so that I can see what the original looks like).

2. (4 marks) Write down the point you want to make, and then integrate the passage in a

quotation. Don’t forget to use correct in-text citation format.

3. (4 marks) Write down the same point, but this time paraphrase (rather than quote) the same

passage. Remember that you need to use correct in-text citation format even when you are

paraphrasing.

Total Part 2= /26

Total for Part 1 and 2= /50